Assembly between a side member and a rear member of a piece of furniture

ABSTRACT

An assembly ( 1 ) between a side member ( 2 ) and a rear panel ( 3 ) for instance in a piece of furniture, a wardrobe or a kitchen element. The assembly consists of a flange part ( 3   a ) of the rear panel ( 3 ) inserted sidewards into a locking slot ( 6   a ) in the side member ( 2 ), the insertion of the flange part ( 3   a ) being effected via a longitudinal slot ( 8 ) at the access to the locking slot ( 6 ). The rear panel ( 3 ) is secured to the side member ( 2 ) by at least one part ( 10 ) of the side member ( 2 ) extending into at least one withdrawal slot ( 20 ) in the rear panel ( 3 ), or by at least a part ( 21 ) of the rear panel extending into at least one withdrawal slot ( 23 ) in the side member ( 2 ). Hereby an assembly is obtained which is not only light of weight, but which is also solid and robust and easy to set up.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/921,208 (allowed), which is the U.S. national stage of international application No. PCT/IB2006/001360 filed May 24, 2006, claiming the right to priority of Denmark patent application No. PA 2005 00773 filed May 27, 2005, the disclosures of all of which applications are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to an assembly between a side member and a rear panel of a piece of

2. Background Art

German published specification No. 198 23 537 A1 discloses a set of shelves built up from very thin walls of plate material. Thus the individual side member consists of one thin plate only and the latter is fastened to a rear plate of the set of shelves by means of relatively small tongues on the plates of the side members, the tongues being slid into the grooves in the rear panel. As each wall of the set of shelves consists of only one layer of plates, the set of shelves has only low carrying capacity. The set of shelves is relatively light, but it is not as stable and strong as desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide an assembly between a side member and a rear panel of a piece of furniture, and which is not only of relatively light weight but which is also stable and strong and easy to set up.

The assembly according to the invention is characterized in that it consists of a flange part of the rear panel inserted sidewards into a locking slot in the side member, the insertion being effected via a longitudinal groove at the access to the locking slot; and the rear panel being secured to the side member by at least one part of the side member extending into at least one withdrawal slot, in the rear panel, or by at least one part of the rear panel extending into at least one withdrawal slot in the side member. Hereby an assembly is obtained which is not only of light weight, but which is also stable and strong and easy to set up.

According to the invention the locking slot of the side member—seen from a horizontal sectional view—may substantially have the shape of a trapeze, and the flange part of the rear panel may have at least one tilted edge face with the same inclination or substantially the same inclination as a tilted wall in said trapeze, and the tilted edge face of the rear panel may abut said tilted wall. Thereby an increased stability of the assembly is obtained.

Furthermore, if the side member is made of a laminate consisting of a central interlayer and a panel plate at each side of the interlayer, according to the invention the locking slot, into which the rear panel is inserted, may be placed off said interlayer, where at least one edge part of said receiving slot may be inserted in a longitudinal groove in the flange part of the rear panel. Hereby an additional stabilization of the flange part of the rear panel is obtained in relation to the side member.

Moreover, according to the invention the rear panel may have a longitudinal projection at at least a part of its width, said longitudinal projection being adapted to interact with a longitudinal withdrawal slot at the edge area of one of the panel plates. Also hereby the assembly is stiffened.

Furthermore, according to the invention the interlayer of the side member may be of light weight material such as cellular material with a thickness of 15-50 mm while the panel plates may for instance be of chipboard or massive bond plate and have a thickness of 15-22 mm. Hereby it is achieved that the assembly provides a considerable stability without being particularly heavy.

Besides, according to the invention the interlayer of said side member may he built up from thin IMF (high density fiberboard), MDF (medium density fiberboard), hardboard or thin, preferably approximately 2.5 mm thick, massive bond plate. Thereby an especially stable assembly is obtained.

Furthermore, according, to the invention a strip of chipboard or massive wood may be provided at the outer edge of the interlayer, and at the center of the interlayer a “Honeycomb” cell-like construction of pulpwood fibers, preferably of Liner quality may be provided. This embodiment has shown to be particularly strong in relation to the weight of the material.

The invention also relates to a piece of furniture, such as a set of shelves, a wardrobe or a kitchen element, and which at least consists of two side members and a rear plate as well as possibly one or more shelves placed on top of each other, said piece of furniture being characterized in that at least one of the assemblies between the side members and the rear plate is adapted according to one or more of claims 1-7. Hereby it is achieved that the piece of furniture gains a sound cohesion without this implying that the piece of furniture becomes much heavier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows, from a sectional view along the plane V-V in FIG. 5, a first embodiment of the assembly according to the invention as an assembly between a rear panel and a side member;

FIG. 2 shows, from a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, a second embodiment of the assembly, where the part of the rear panel extending furthest into the locking slot in the side member has tilted walls;

FIG. 3 shows, from a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, a third embodiment of the assembly according to the invention, the rear panel having two projections, each of said projections cooperating with their respective withdrawal slot in the side member;

FIG. 4 shows, from a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, a fourth embodiment of the assembly according to the invention, where a projection on the side member at the left side of the assembly extends into a withdrawal slot in the rear panel, and where a projecting part on the rear panel at the right side of the assembly interacts with a withdrawal slot in the side member;

FIG. 5 shows, from a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, a fifth embodiment of an assembly according to the invention, where the interlayer 16 is built up from materials with various structures; and

FIG. 6 shows a perspective and schematic view of a completed set of shelves including one or more assemblies according to the invention, clearly showing the cutting plane V-V.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The assembly 1 shown in FIG. 1, said assembly being an assembly between a side member 2 and a rear panel 3 in a piece of furniture, e.g. the set of shelves shown in FIG. 5, consists of a flange part 3 a of the rear panel 3 inserted sidewards into the locking slot 6 in the side member 2. The insertion of the rear panel in the side member 2 is effected via a longitudinal groove 8 at the access to said locking slot 6. The rear panel 3 is secured to the side member 2 by at least a part 10 of said side member extending into a withdrawal slot 8 in the rear panel 3. Something similar applies at the other side of the rear panel 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the locking slot 6 a of the side member 2 may substantially have the shape of a trapeze, just as the flange part 3 a of the rear panel may have at least one tilted edge face 13 with substantially the same inclination as the tilted wall 14 in said trapeze. The tilted edge part 13 of the rear panel may abut the tilted wall 14 of the locking slot 6 a.

FIG. 2 shows how the side member 2 may consist of a laminate built up of a central interlayer 16, and a first panel plate 15 and a second panel plate 17 placed at each side of the interlayer 16. As can be seen, the locking slot 6 a, into which the flange part 3 a of the rear panel 3 is inserted, may be placed substantially off the interlayer 16. At least the one edge part 10 at the receiving slot 8 may be inserted in a longitudinal groove 20 in the flange part 3 a of rear panel 3.

instead of one or more longitudinal grooves 20 being placed in the rear panel 3, a projection 21, possibly two projections 21 and 21 a extending to the edge close to the rear plate (see FIG. 3) may be formed, and said longitudinal projection may be adapted to interact with a longitudinal withdrawal slot 23, possibly withdrawal slots 23 and 23 a, at the edge area of the first panel plate 15.

The central interlayer 16 of the side member 2 may be of light weight material, for instance cellular material, and have a thickness of 15-50 mm. The panel plates 15 and 17 may for instance be built up of chipboard or massive bond plate. Each panel plate 15, 17 may have a thickness of 15-22 mm.

The light weight material in the interlayer 16 of the side member may be built up from thin HDF (high density fiberboard), MDF (medium density fiberboard), hardboard or a thin, preferably approximately 2.5 mm thick, massive bond plate.

As shown in FIG. 4 the assembly between the rear panel 3 and the side member 2 may be provided in that for instance the right side of the rear panel 3 may have a projection 21 extending into a withdrawal slot 23 in the panel plate 15 while at the left side of the assembly, a projection. 10 is placed on the panel plate 15, said projection extending into a longitudinal groove 20 in the rear panel 3.

As shown in FIG. 5 a list 31 from chipboard or massive wood may be placed at the outer areas of the interlayer 16, and a “honeycomb” cell-like layer construction from celluloid fiber may be provided at the center of the interlayer 16. Said construction is preferably of Liner quality.

The assembly according to the invention is particularly well adapted for use in sets of shelves, wardrobes or kitchen elements at least consisting of two side members and a rear panel as well as one or more shelves placed on top of each other. The assembly according to the invention is included in at least one of the assemblies between the side members and the rear panel.

As it appears the invention especially relates to the locking function between the rear panel and the side members in a piece of case furniture.

Specifically, the assembly according to the invention can be set up by providing a single groove 20 at one side of the rear panel 3—said groove being approximately 1.5 mm±0.2 mm deep and 3.2±0.2 nun wide; alternatively a groove 20 can be provided at each side of the rear panel 3, said grooves being approximately 1.0±0.2 mm deep and 3.2±0.2 mm wide. The grooves are provided lengthwise along the rear panel 3, for instance 2.0 mm from the edge of the rear panel.

The object of having grooves 20 at each side of the rear panel 3 (see FIG. 1) is to make it possible that said rear panel may be turned 180°. If for instance both sides of the rear panel 3—possibly just the one side hereof—are provided with a pattern (e.g. a birch pattern on one side and a uniform white color on the other side)—a customer will have an additional option with regard to the design of the piece of furniture.

Provided that there are grooves 20 at both sides of the rear panel 3, the finished piece of furniture is more stable than if there is only one groove 20 in said rear panel.

On manufacturing a piece of furniture according to the invention, e.g. a set of shelves, the perpendicular locking slots 6 (see FIG. 2) are manufactured at the right side member 2 and the left side member 2′ (see FIG. 6) of the set of shelves in such a way that the rear panel 3 may be inserted sidewards in the slot 6 of the side members by means of the longitudinal grooves 20 of the rear panel; said sidewards movement corresponds in FIGS. 1-5 to a movement of the rear panel 3 perpendicular to the plane of the paper.

The invention can be changed in many ways without deviating from the idea behind it. 

1-3. (canceled)
 4. An assembly between a side member and a rear panel of a piece of furniture wherein the assembly comprises a flange part of the rear panel slidably releasably inserted sidewards into a locking slot in the side member, the insertion being effected by a longitudinal groove at an access to the locking slot, and the rear panel being secured to the side member by at least one part of the side member extending into at least one withdrawal slot in the rear panel, wherein the side member is made of a laminate comprising a central interlayer and a panel plate at each side of the interlayer, wherein the locking slot in the side member, into which the flange part of the rear panel is inserted, at least is placed off said interlayer, and at least one edge part of one panel plate of the side member is inserted in a longitudinal groove in the flange part of the rear panel, and wherein the rear panel has a longitudinal projection along at least one part of its width, said longitudinal projection being adapted to interact with a longitudinal withdrawal slot at the edge area of a panel plate. 5-8. (canceled)
 9. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein the interlayer of the side member is of a lightweight material comprising a cellular material with a thickness of 15-50 mm, the panel plates are of massive bond plate chipboard and each has a thickness of 15-22 mm.
 10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein a lightweight material in the interlayer of the side member is at least one of thin high density fiberboard and medium density fiberboard, hardboard and approximately 2.5 mm thick, massive bond plate. 11-17. (canceled)
 18. A piece of furniture, including at least one of a set of shelves, a wardrobe and a kitchen cabinet, and which comprises two side members and a rear panel as well as one or more shelves placed on top of each other, wherein at least one of an assembly between the side members and the rear panel is shaped as the assembly according to claim
 4. 19-21. (canceled)
 22. An assembly between a side member and a rear panel of a piece of furniture wherein the assembly comprises a flange part of the rear panel releasably inserted sidewards into a locking slot in the side member, the insertion being effected via a longitudinal opening at an access to the locking slot, and the rear panel being secured to the side member by at least one projection and/or longitudinal groove provided on the side member extending into at least one corresponding longitudinal groove and/or projection provided on the rear panel.
 23. An assembly according to claim 22, wherein the locking slot of the side member as seen from a horizontal sectional view substantially has the shape of a trapeze and the flange part of the rear panel has at least one tilted edge face with a same inclination as a tilted wall in said trapeze, said one tilted edge face abutting said tilted wall.
 24. An assembly between a side member and a rear panel of a piece of furniture wherein the assembly comprises a flange part of the rear panel slidably releasably inserted sidewards into a locking slot in the side member, the insertion being effected by a longitudinal groove at an access to the locking slot, and the rear panel being secured to the side member by at least one part of the side member extending into at least one withdrawal slot in the rear panel, wherein the side member is made of a laminate comprising a central interlayer and a panel plate at each side of the interlayer, wherein the locking slot in the side member, into which the flange part of the rear panel is inserted, at least is placed off said interlayer, and at least one edge part of one panel plate of the side member is inserted in a longitudinal groove in the flange part of the rear panel; wherein said interlayer comprises a cellular material with a thickness of 15-50 mm, while the panel plates are of at least one of chipboard and massive bond plate and each have a thickness of 15-22 mm; and wherein the locking slot of the side member substantially has the shape of a trapeze, and the flange part of the rear panel has a least one tilted edge face with a same inclination as a tilted wall in said trapeze, and the tilted edge face of the rear panel abuts said tilted wall.
 25. A piece of furniture, including at least one of a set of shelves, a wardrobe and a kitchen cabinet, and which comprises two side members and a rear panel as well as one or more shelves placed on top of each other, wherein at least one of an assembly between the side members and the rear panel is shaped as the assembly according to claim
 24. 26. An assembly according to claim 22, wherein the side member is made of a laminate comprising a central interlayer and a panel plate at each side of the interlayer, and wherein the locking slot in the side member, into which the flange part of the rear panel is inserted, at least is placed off said interlayer, and at least one edge part of one panel plate of the side member is inserted in a longitudinal groove in the flange part of the rear panel.
 27. An assembly according to claim 26, wherein the rear panel has a longitudinal projection at least at one part of its width, said longitudinal projection being adapted to interact with a longitudinal withdrawal slot at the edge area of a panel plate.
 28. An assembly according to claim 26, wherein the interlayer is of light weight material and having a thickness of 15-50 mm, while the panel plates of the side member are of chipboard or massive bond plate and each has a thickness of 15-22 mm.
 29. An assembly according to claim 28, wherein the lightweight material in the interlayer is built up from thin high density fiberboard, medium density fiberboard, hardboard or a thin massive bond plate.
 30. An assembly according to claim 26, wherein a list of chipboard or massive wood is placed at outer areas of the interlayer and a honeycomb cell-like construction from celluloid fiber is placed at the center of the interlayer.
 31. A piece of furniture, including at least one of a set of shelves, a wardrobe and a kitchen cabinet, and which comprises two side members and a rear panel as well as one or more shelves placed on top of each other, wherein at least one of an assembly between the side members and the rear panel is shaped as the assembly according to claim
 22. 